With Phú Trọng hospitalised, Tô Lâm now leads the party as well
The 80-year-old general secretary of the Vietnamese Communist Party, the most important post in the country, has handed over the leadership of the Central Committee to Lâm, the former Minister of Public Security who became president in May, after several top party leaders resigned in recent months in the quake of an anti-corruption campaign.
Hanoi (AsiaNews/Agencies) – Vietnamese Communist Party General Secretary Nguyễn Phú Trọng (pictured) is in hospital. President Tô Lâm, Vietnam’s new strongman, has taken over his duties in the Party Central Committee, the Politburo, and the Secretariat.
This latest development further strengthens Lâm’s leadership after he defeated all internal rivals with his "fight against corruption”, official government sources report.
In Vietnam’s power system, the post of party general secretary is the most important and the 80-year-old Nguyễn Phú Trọng is in his third term of office, which is set to end in early 2026.
But rumors about his poor health have been circulating for some time and his public appearances have been very few in recent months.
Vietnamese politics have been shaken by a real earthquake, with the resignation of most of Phú Trọng’s potential successors, including President Võ Văn Thưởng and the speaker of the National Assembly Vương Đình Huệ.
Tô Lâm, 67, is the one who has come out on top. A former Minister of Public Security, he now finds himself officially party boss (albeit pro tem) after becoming president.
The only rival left is Prime Minister Phạm Minh Chính, 65, who, according to the party’s internal rules, is the only one with enough seniority in the Politburo to run for the post of general secretary in the next party congress.
Meanwhile, “The Politburo, the Secretariat, key leaders and the Standing Member of the Secretariat have directed specialized agencies to focus on mobilizing a team of professors, doctors, medical staff, leading experts and the most favorable conditions to treat and care for the general secretary's health,” online news site VietnamPlus said.
With Nguyễn Phú Trọng potentially set to retire while Tô Lâm continues his rise, the future of Vietnam raises new questions.
In recent years, the Southeast Asian country has pursued its so-called bamboo diplomacy, a delicate balancing act between China and the United States, aiming to find Qits own place in the world’s economy.
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